# Recommend me some Rye whiskey



## hawk45 (Aug 9, 2015)

I've got plenty of bourbon, and only one Rye (Sazurac 6yr). I want to try a few more but have no idea about Rye. I'm looking for smooth, not harsh. I hear good things about Whistle Pig and High West, but they are in the $70-80 price around here and I'm looking for a more budget friendly rye. I usually try to keep my bottle costs $40 or below b/c I know there is lots of quality in and below that price range. 

Thanks,
Hawk


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## CraigT78 (Apr 14, 2015)

Save your money for the man cave shed!!


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

I heard Jim Murray recently announced that Crown Royal Harvest Rye is the "world's best whisky" recently. Take that for what it's worth...


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## Oldmso54 (Jul 31, 2010)

CraigT78 said:


> Save your money for the man cave shed!!


Can't recommend a rye whiskey (scotch man myself) but I do like Craigs post!


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## Seamus55418 (Jan 23, 2015)

The Rittenhouse 100 BIB is my house rye. 
A lot of people like Bulleit, you might be one of them. I personally am not.


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## LSUTigersFan (Sep 12, 2015)

Save your money up for the Whistle Pig!!


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## argonaut (Oct 6, 2015)

Seamus55418 said:


> The Rittenhouse 100 BIB is my house rye.
> A lot of people like Bulleit, you might be one of them. I personally am not.


Rittenhouse AND Bulleit are my ryes of choice (though admittedly, I've only tried a couple of others). Rittenhouse is considered a Pennsylvania-rye and I assume Bulleit may be considered a Maryland-style rye, though don't quote me on that. I like both, but I think the Rittenhouse is a little smoother and sweeter, so I like that one best neat while the Bulleit is really good as a mixer. Both are under $30 and great choices, but Rittenhouse can be hard to find.

Oh, and Michter's Rye is also good, but in the $40 to $50 range as I recall.


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## hawk45 (Aug 9, 2015)

I want something for drinking straight. I know lots of bartenders really like Bulleit for mixers, but I can't stand it straight up. I'm guessing the rye will be similar.
Thanks for all the information guys.


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## argonaut (Oct 6, 2015)

hawk45 said:


> I want something for drinking straight. I know lots of bartenders really like Bulleit for mixers, but I can't stand it straight up. I'm guessing the rye will be similar.
> Thanks for all the information guys.


Do you mean that you can't stand the Bulleitt bourbon straight up? It's been a while since I had it, but I didn't much care for it either and stuck with Knob Creek or Buffalo Trace instead.

Depending on how deep you plan on getting into the whiskey world, bear in mind that there are a LOT of companies out there which are basically repackaging "juice" distilled by someone else (perhaps with a minor tweak here and there, like a little extra aging in an organic free-range oak barrel). For instance, for all the clever marketing, the folks at Whistlepig did NOT distill their rye; despite the "Vermont Rye" tagline on the label, it's actually Canadian rye that they bought and put a hell of a surcharge on. That isn't to say it isn't very good (my best friend loves it), but if you can find it, then buying a bottle of Alberta Springs will be much cheaper and sourced from the same juice. (Incidentally, Bulleit doesn't actually distill their rye themselves either.)

Buy and drink what you like the best, but bear in mind that being willing to pay 2x or 3x the amount of money for liquor doesn't necessarily get you something that is 2x or 3x better. For that reason and more, I typically stick with Rittenhouse. Whatever you choose, though -- enjoy it!


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## hawk45 (Aug 9, 2015)

argonaut said:


> Do you mean that you can't stand the Bulleitt bourbon straight up? It's been a while since I had it, but I didn't much care for it either and stuck with Knob Creek or Buffalo Trace instead.
> 
> Depending on how deep you plan on getting into the whiskey world, bear in mind that there are a LOT of companies out there which are basically repackaging "juice" distilled by someone else (perhaps with a minor tweak here and there, like a little extra aging in an organic free-range oak barrel). For instance, for all the clever marketing, the folks at Whistlepig did NOT distill their rye; despite the "Vermont Rye" tagline on the label, it's actually Canadian rye that they bought and put a hell of a surcharge on. That isn't to say it isn't very good (my best friend loves it), but if you can find it, then buying a bottle of Alberta Springs will be much cheaper and sourced from the same juice. (Incidentally, Bulleit doesn't actually distill their rye themselves either.)
> 
> Buy and drink what you like the best, but bear in mind that being willing to pay 2x or 3x the amount of money for liquor doesn't necessarily get you something that is 2x or 3x better. For that reason and more, I typically stick with Rittenhouse. Whatever you choose, though -- enjoy it!


Thanks brother. Yeah, I'm pretty experienced with bourbon and have a nice collection. I love my bourbon straight, but just don't care for Bulleit that way.


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## TorpedoTom (Aug 9, 2015)

As for Rye Whiskies, I'm pretty partial to Pendleton


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## TonyB6255 (Dec 29, 2015)

Try Templetons out of IA. It was Al Capones favorite whiskey (not that it matters) but it is very very good. The best Rye whiskey I have had by far.


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## argonaut (Oct 6, 2015)

TonyB6255 said:


> Try Templetons out of IA. It was Al Capones favorite whiskey (not that it matters) but it is very very good. The best Rye whiskey I have had by far.


Sadly, while the Templeton legend from 80 years ago regarding a unique recipe favored by Al Capone may be based in truth, it has no relation to the Templeton Rye of today, and is just one of the many whiskies distilled by a huge industrial company that is then repackaged under a new name with a fancy label. It turns out that Templeton has actually ruffled more than a few feathers, based on this info from Wikipedia:

_In fact, Templeton Rye brand whiskey is distilled and aged in Lawrenceburg Indiana by MGP of Indiana utilizing a recipe shared with other brands. It is combined with an "alcohol flavoring agent" from Clarendon Flavor Engineers, and finally bottled at an Iowa facility.[5][6] Pursuant to a class action settlement announced in 2015, Templeton will add the words "distilled in Indiana" to the label and remove claims of "Prohibition Era Recipe" and "small batch." The settlement also affords refunds to customers who bought Templeton Rye since 2006._

Of course, that doesn't mean it doesn't taste good, and maybe that flavoring agent is the secret to making it stand above other rye whiskies which are exactly the same whiskey prior to its addition, but it's always good to know what you're getting.


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## TonyB6255 (Dec 29, 2015)

argonaut said:


> Sadly, while the Templeton legend from 80 years ago regarding a unique recipe favored by Al Capone may be based in truth, it has no relation to the Templeton Rye of today, and is just one of the many whiskies distilled by a huge industrial company that is then repackaged under a new name with a fancy label. It turns out that Templeton has actually ruffled more than a few feathers, based on this info from Wikipedia:
> 
> _In fact, Templeton Rye brand whiskey is distilled and aged in Lawrenceburg Indiana by MGP of Indiana utilizing a recipe shared with other brands. It is combined with an "alcohol flavoring agent" from Clarendon Flavor Engineers, and finally bottled at an Iowa facility.[5][6] Pursuant to a class action settlement announced in 2015, Templeton will add the words "distilled in Indiana" to the label and remove claims of "Prohibition Era Recipe" and "small batch." The settlement also affords refunds to customers who bought Templeton Rye since 2006._
> 
> Of course, that doesn't mean it doesn't taste good, and maybe that flavoring agent is the secret to making it stand above other rye whiskies which are exactly the same whiskey prior to its addition, but it's always good to know what you're getting.


 Interesting. I guess that explains why it seemed the last bottle I got from Total Wine in Olympia was not as good as a few years ago. I have a friend who said the originals bottles he got for me were different than what is sold now.... Good thing I like Scotch more!! lol


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## gcbright (Dec 1, 2012)

argonaut said:


> Rittenhouse AND Bulleit are my ryes of choice (though admittedly, I've only tried a couple of others). Rittenhouse is considered a Pennsylvania-rye and I assume Bulleit may be considered a Maryland-style rye, though don't quote me on that. I like both, but I think the Rittenhouse is a little smoother and sweeter, so I like that one best neat while the Bulleit is really good as a mixer. Both are under $30 and great choices, but Rittenhouse can be hard to find.
> 
> Oh, and Michter's Rye is also good, but in the $40 to $50 range as I recall.


Rittenhouse all the way. Can be hard to get sometimes in my state, certainly going into christmas. All I can say is there must have been a lot of Rittenhouse under the tree this year because getting it from mid november forward was a (rhymes with witch).


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

Rittenhouse, Dickel & Bulliet are very good cornerstone Ryes. They have stood the test of time, especially Rittenhouse. Recently, I have tried, two bottles worth of the Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye and I must say, it is really good. It's well balanced and very easy to drink. However, my favorite, for the last 4 or 5 years has been and still is, Sazerac Rye. The top end Sazerac Rye, which I believe is an 18yo offering, is super hard to find and very, very expensive. The standard offering of Sazerac Rye is often referred to as Baby Saz, is very, very good/excellent. I love it!

None of the above that I mentioned, except for the top end Sazerac Rye, will cost you over $30/$35 for a 750ml Bottle. 

If I had to list them in order of my preference, it would be:
Sazerac
Rittenhouse 
Dickel 
Bulliet


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

The Sazerac 18 year old is very good and runs about $120 per 750 ML bottle


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## Amelia Isabelle (May 4, 2015)

Was going to recommend Bulleit, then read on. Welp, I'll just go back to drinking my Gin over here


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

JDom58 said:


> The Sazerac 18 year old is very good and runs about $120 per 750 ML bottle


My friend, if you can find Sazerac 18yo Rye Whiskey, for $120 a 750ml bottle, I'll buy a few cases at minimum.

Sazerac 18yo Rye is extremely rare. If those few places that have it, will even sell you a bottle, your talking $800/$1000 per bottle!


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## argonaut (Oct 6, 2015)

Amelia Isabelle said:


> Was going to recommend Bulleit, then read on. Welp, I'll just go back to drinking my Gin over here


It warms my heart to hear that there are still some folks who enjoy gin! Talk about a spirit that has been unfairly maligned.

That said, my friend who loves rye and bourbon refuses to drink gin, telling me he has no interest in eating (juniper) tree leaves, and it seems there are a lot of folks who like bourbon OR gin but not both, so you may have come to the wrong thread


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## JDom58 (Jul 27, 2015)

JohnnyFlake said:


> My friend, if you can find Sazerac 18yo Rye Whiskey, for $120 a 750ml bottle, I'll buy a few cases at minimum.
> 
> Sazerac 18yo Rye is extremely rare. If those few places that have it, will even sell you a bottle, your talking $800/$1000 per bottle!


Johnny see if this is the same one:

Sazerac 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey | Quality Liquor Store


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

JDom58 said:


> Johnny see if this is the same one:
> 
> Sazerac 18 Year Old Straight Rye Whiskey | Quality Liquor Store


Yes, it's the same one, however, you will note that it's out of stock, but you can asked to be notified if it becomes available. A lot of the online liquor shops, had that same type of advertisement, for a few years, but most no longer have it listed. Oh! how I wish it were true!!!


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## argonaut (Oct 6, 2015)

JohnnyFlake said:


> Yes, it's the same one, however, you will note that it's out of stock, but you can asked to be notified if it becomes available. A lot of the online liquor shops, had that same type of advertisement, for a few years, but most no longer have it listed. Oh! how I wish it were true!!!


I checked the page out on Internet Archive and even as far back as 2012 they've had the bottle listed for between $119 and $189, but the most they ever showed in stock was 1 bottle (and I wonder if that 1 was ever really there). Also, this is what the end of the Sazerac 18 review on whiskeyreviewer-dot-com has to say:

_The Price
In the U.S., the 2015 Sazerac 18-year Old Rye is supposed to cost about $80. According to Wine Searcher, the average market price is a whopping $550._

Whiskey prices have gone up greatly in the past 5 years. Anthony Bourdain ruined the pricing on Pappy by telling everyone about it on his show, and I first noticed it myself a couple of years ago when a bottle of Elmer T. Lee bourbon used to be about $35 and was suddenly about $95.

If there's one in particular you love, I recommend buying a few extra bottles and storing them away in a cellar or basement. That's what I do, haha!


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## JohnnyFlake (May 31, 2006)

argonaut said:


> I checked the page out on Internet Archive and even as far back as 2012 they've had the bottle listed for between $119 and $189, but the most they ever showed in stock was 1 bottle (and I wonder if that 1 was ever really there). Also, this is what the end of the Sazerac 18 review on whiskeyreviewer-dot-com has to say:
> 
> _The Price
> In the U.S., the 2015 Sazerac 18-year Old Rye is supposed to cost about $80. According to Wine Searcher, the average market price is a whopping $550._
> ...


Dam, Dam, Dam, isn't that a Bitch!!!!!

I do agree though, the prices seem to go up every year and we are in the mist of a Whiskey/Bourbon Boom!

I bought a case of the standard Sazerac Rye, about a year ago at $28 per bottle. I am thinking of buying a case of Rittenhouse 100 Rye, while it's still reasonable at $28/$30 a bottle. I do love my Rye!

BTW, I never did like that Bourdian Guy!


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